Issues for Unmarried Parents

Helping Monmouth County Families Do What is Best for Their Children

Dealing with custody,
parenting time and child support are not issues unique to divorcing spouses. Many times,
unmarried parents face these issues, too, and need assistance from dedicated
Monmouth County family law attorneys.

In the New Jersey family court system, these issues between unmarried couples
are resolved similar to divorcing couples. However, since there is no
marriage being dissolved, these cases for are called "non-dissolution" cases.

Married people can also file a nondissolution case, too, if they want to address
child custody, parenting time, child support or spousal support issues but do not want
a divorce.

How Nondissolution Cases Work in NJ

A nondissolution case is started by filing a complaint. The complaint can
address any issue between the couple; however, it usually pertains to
paternity, custody, parenting time or
child support. There is no court filing fee for filing a nondissolution case.

Once the complaint is filed, here is how the process works:

Consent conference: The case may first be sent to a consent conference. Somewhat similar
to a mediation, a consent conference is a meeting between the parents
and a court representative. Or the issue may be presented to a hearing officer.

Appear before a judge: If the case is not resolved at the consent conference and/or by the hearing
officer, the parents can appear before a judge who will make a ruling.
At this point in the process, the parents may seek rights of discovery,
experts, custody evaluations and any other discovery or litigation tool
similar to divorce litigation.

Have a Child or Spousal Support Issue and Don't Want Divorce? Call Us.

If you have an issue regarding custody, parenting time, child support or
spousal support, and it does not involve a divorce, talk to the experienced
nondissolution lawyers at the Law Office of Steven P. Monaghan, LLC in
Monmouth County.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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